Monday, January 29, 2018

Catholic Schools Week 2018: Will Work for Education

It's Catholic School's Week! My kids are excited for the fun activities planned at their wonderful Catholic Schools, mostly the dress down days :) Phil and I are huge supporters of Catholic Education, as we literally work in it to be able to provide it for our kids. We'll always be poor, but our kids will be well-educated. We think Catholic schooling is so important at every age. As parents, we understand that no matter where we send our children to school, we are their primary educators. If the school is teaching them something that goes against our beliefs or values, we are there to guide our kids back on the right path. But by putting them in a good Catholic school, we don't even need to worry about this - everyone is on the same page. The goal is to educate our children to get them to Heaven.

Catholic Preschool:

Deciding where to send your sweet toddler to preschool can be an excruciating choice. You want them to be loved and cared for and taught in the same manner that you would teach them. You want a teacher who scoops them up and gives them a hug instead of worrying about bureaucracy and the rules about touching a child. When I worked in a daycare in college, we weren't allowed to hug the little children. It was so sad and I broke the rule daily. They're sweet little kids who need to feel safe and loved! Their little minds are being formed, and these years are the best for getting in great theology lessons with simple songs, prayer time, stories, etc. The preschool kids love their faith (become like little children!) and eat it up with a spoon. My preschoolers sing songs to Our Lady under their breath as they color a picture of a Cross. They're going to be singing, they're going to be coloring, they're going to be read to....why not make it faith based?

Catholic Elementary School:

Elementary school provides a place for kids to get a great foundation of their faith in a bubble. These kids are ages 5-11 and even though they are aware that there are many types of people in this world, they are surrounded by like-minded students and teachers. It is NORMAL to start class with a prayer. It is NORMAL to say grace before lunch. It's NORMAL to go to Mass weekly and know how to participate. It's cool to be picked to read at Mass, or serve at the altar, or chosen to play the role of Mary in the Nativity play. Their faith is just integrated into every other aspect of education for them, and they are such little sponges, they just soak it all up. These years build such great habits for life.

Catholic Middle School:

The awkward years ;) I've found these middle school years to be fun. The kids are old enough to start thinking for themselves, but innocent enough to still listen to their parents and teachers, for the most part. Our middle schoolers learn so much about being leaders of the school and all of the qualities that it entails. They can become members of the National Honor Society, Student Council, and tutor younger kids who need help. Middle schoolers learn how to lead by example as St. Francis said. They are given a little more freedom but expected to be responsible with it. Catholic schools use these years to train their students to know their faith and serve others. The teachers help navigate the students through relationships and puberty and other challenges.

Catholic High School:

I think if I was only able to send my kids to Catholic school for a short period of time, it would be for high school. These years are so formative!! Here, the Catholic faith is taught not only in Theology classes (mandatory all four years) but in our Campus Ministry Club, Pro-Life Club, at prayer time in the Chapel before a sports game, during First Friday Adoration, at morning prayer over the intercom, at morning Mass in the Chapel, in weekly Confession opportunities, in the many, many service opportunities provided to them. We raise money for veterans, local homeless shelters, and food pantries. Kids go to the March for Life in DC, they volunteer at a farm that provides meals for homeless, they sort through clothes and toys at a company that donates to those in need. Students can travel to Honduras or Africa to serve the poor, they give up their Spring Break to serve the local community members who need it. They have spent their lives learning the lessons of our beautiful faith, and now they are ready to carry it out. The rules and discipline in Catholic high school make it easier to stay on track. Uniforms promote modesty and a sense of belonging. They will be able to reflect back on their morality class lessons when it comes time to make a big decision in the future. While these high school students are still normal teens, they are learning how to act for the rest of their life. They are being taught how to live as Catholics.

Catholic College:

I'm going to speak from my own experience here, because that's all I know! When I was in (Catholic) high school, I had a close group of five friends. I chose to go to a Catholic college (Franciscan University) and the other four did not. They all lost their faith. While I was meeting potential spouses that wore scapulars (swoon!), went to daily Mass and frequent Confession, and prayed with friends, they were partying and meeting the wrong type of guys. While I was being taught by professors who vowed to teach in line with the Catholic Church, they were being taught by liberal professors. Now, I know that going to a secular college doesn't guarantee a falling away from faith, and enrolling at a Catholic college doesn't guarantee a path to sanctity...but the risks are real. When young adults are able to leave home and "discover themselves" there is a lot of questioning involved and we pray the ones answering them are giving them the proper ones. Colleges are a breeding ground for expanding minds and challenging opinions and that's good! But if not done in the proper context of our faith, it can be disastrous. By the point of college, if you have raised your kids to know right from wrong and given them all the tools they need to succeed, they can persevere, but they will be tested. Why not put them in an environment that helps them along their journey instead of pushes them away?

Catholic schools in many areas are suffering due to drops in enrollment that stem from a smaller population, the ability to afford it, and the lack of vocations. Without sisters who will teach at Catholic schools, lay people have to be hired (and paid) and tuition has naturally increased to cover the costs. Due to this, some families can't afford it and don't consider it an option. But I urge you to visit your Catholic school, see what it offers, and talk to the Principal about making it work. Catholic schools are here to serve and if there's a will, there's a way! I've seen it first-hand many times! Every parent has to decided what is best for their family, but if you haven't considered Catholic schools, I pray that you open your heart to it. It's been the best decision for our family, and we have sacrificed everything to make it happen.

16 comments:

Such a great post! It's interesting for me to read your perspective on Catholic schools, as I'm LDS/Mormon and our church doesn't have an education system in the same way. I like how you used the phrase "in a bubble" to describe Catholic elementary school. I think it's a beautiful thing that you and your husband work so hard to be able to give your kids an education in your faith. I am curious though, about your thoughts about how much of a bubble they will stay in if Catholic school is the only thing they know. Maybe they would get more opportunities to share their faith and be examples to others if they were able to mix more with kids from other backgrounds? Undoubtedly there would also be lots of not so great influence, so who knows! Just a thought! I do think those uniforms are SO cute and sweet! :)

Hi! I appreciate your comment! My feeling is that kids need to be well trained before they are ready to face outside influences. Catholic schools are the training grounds for the real world. My kids play tons of sports and interact with all sorts of kids through that, so I’m not worried about them being in a bubble for life, just for school.

Even considering a Catholic school is out of the question! Sadly the closest Catholic school (which I hear is not very good) is about 2 hours away! So a 4 hour daily commute would never work. So homeschooling is our only option besides the ridiculous public school system. There is only 1 Catholic church where we live the next closest is 30 miles away. Rural small towns have other perks, then Catholic education.......at least I hope so.

Ugh. That is so hard. I grew up in a similar situation. On Cape Cod, there was no Catholic elementary school or high school near me. I had to travel an hour each way to go to Catholic middle school and high school. It was hard but worth it. A four hour commute is not possible though! One of my favorite quotes is to Bloom where you’re planted, and if that’s where God wants you to be, then Catholic school is not where he wants your kids. Peace!

Sweet post! I am impressed with your commitment to Catholic schools. The tuition in our city is steeeep for our local Catholic school so we have chosen to save up so that we can send them for High School and help pay for college (hopefully Steubenville!).

We literally work off *some* of the kids tuition with running a summer camp, receiving financial aid, and getting parish assistance. Then high school is free because combined we have worked her for 22 years!

I love our Catholic school - it added a pre-school class a few years ago and now instead of paying for a babysitter (good as she was) my 3 year old can go to an all day, fun, and faith filled class. And any kids after the third one is free - we've taken advantage of that perk too. My kids' Catholic school struggles due to demographic and employment shifts, but it's still providing a great education and a strong Catholic environment for my kids. We have to make some sacrifices to get them there, but I remember my early Catholic school years fondly, and I know, in the tough times, the faith my kids developed in these early years will help them through.

I love your post! Recently, I've been struggling or frustrated with something - the trend for Catholic families to homeschool. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Now, I recognize the need for each family to decide what is right for their own family. I send my children to the local Catholic school, and we really love it. However, I feel that if those really lovely families switched from homeschooling to Catholic school it would make our school even better! There are so many volunteering and teaching opportunities in a Catholic school that the parent could help out and remain in the same location as his/her children. And, often times the teaching or volunteering can reduce or eliminate the cost of tuition. These families could influence the school for the better, strengthening the overall Catholic feel of the school. This might be a touchy subject, but I would love for our Catholic schools to thrive with families who value excellence in education and the Catholic faith.

I feel your frustrations! I know homeschoolers have their reasons for homeschooling, and sometimes catholic school is just not nearby, not great in their area, doesn't fit their schedule, but if it's ever about cost (which I'm thinking of many families I know where that is the biggest concern), Catholic schools are SO willing to work with people. I think Catholic schools were meant to be a place where great, vibrant, solid Catholic families sent their kids to learn with other like-minded kids. It's sad that there are so many kids like this that aren't able/don't want to go. I have seen a more recent trend in bloggers I follow of switching from homeschooling to Catholic schooling - and they seem to be loving it! (Kendra, Heather, Bonnie, Blythe to name a few) I too would love to hear from a Catholic homeschooling family why they choose not to send kids to Catholic school. Our choices are all so personal and we are all trying to do what's best for our families, but I know Catholic schools could use the enrollment boost they could create.

Thanks, Colleen! I think I know Bonnie, but I'm not sure I'm familiar with the other bloggers. Recently, a friend in my parish told me that she consulted our pastor about her schooling questions. She said our pastor told her that the happiest, most Catholic families homeschool so she should probably try that option. Aaaarrrrggghhh! I was so upset! No, don't advocate leaving, advocate staying and making our school even stronger in its Catholic faith! (And, I think our school does a VERY good job with the Catholic faith. Prayers throughout the day, mass every Friday and special/holy days. Learning about the faith - bible and Catechism daily. Retreats, sacrament prep, periodic adoration, etc. ) I didn't want to act on that hearsay by confronting our pastor, so I'm just posting about it here. Heehee. :)

I actually had no intention of ever homeschooling when my oldest was young, we belong to a parish with a wonderful Catholic school. But as Kindergarten approached, I knew that this particular child needed more time at home to mature so I decided to just homeschool him for Kindergarten for one year (we had already done Preschool at home by forming a local group of moms who met once a week for field trips and enrichment) so he would be the oldest in his class the next year instead of the youngest.

That same year we also welcomed his newborn sister (and were already chasing his toddler brother around!) but the pace of life was just so relaxed. No running for a bus, no scrambling in the morning, no missed naps, no leaving the young ones to have to volunteer in a classroom, no homework to worry over, lots of time to just be a family...it just worked for us. So we just kept chugging along as the kids grew.

My oldest is now a senior in high school and we've added four more children in the meantime. Those relaxed days of just one Kindergartner are not quite as relaxed anymore and homeschooling in February often makes me want to gouge my eyes out, but overall it still is the best fit for our family. Are there aspects of a Catholic school I wish I could replicate at home? Yes, absolutely. Our homeschool has many flaws, it's nowhere near perfect. But the rhythm of our family life just works this way.

I hope this helps explain our decision, at least! I'm sure there are just as many reasons for homeschooling as there are homeschoolers.

Another Catholic homeschooler here - we originally started after a somewhat dismal experience in our hometown's Catholic school system...you may not know this, but you are EXTREMELY blessed and fortunate to be able to trust the solid, orthodox formation your kids are getting, this is definitely not the case everywhere. Now that we are firmly entrenched in homeschooling, though, I cannot ever see us going back. The freedom and flexibility for independence it brings our family has been literally life-changing. :)

I’m so glad (but jealous) that your family has found so many GREAT Catholic schools for all ages! I went to Catholic middle school and my siblings all went to (different) Catholic high schools - but they were all Catholic in name only. The only thing that made them Catholic was mandatory Theology class taught by nominal Catholics and a monthly school mass. My husband teaches Theology at a Catholic school and is constantly fighting for a Catholic culture. While his campus ministry offers many opportunities to form students, the school itself regularly cancels Masses, schedules games & school events on Sundays, and prevents students from attending events like the March for Life since most teachers are pro-choice. It’s so disappointing! Did I mention that high school tuition is also $25-35k?!

I’m not sure what we will do for our kids because we can’t afford the price tag, especially for a in-name-only Catholic school, but public school makes me nervous too.

I’m relieved to hear that not all Catholic schools are as depressing as ours!

This sounds just like my experience with both middle and high schools. I went to public school up until 5th grade so I can't speak for elementary school.

How did you know if the school (elementary/middle) that you send your kids to take their religion education seriously before sending them there? I personally have found that it's hard to know much about a school until your child goes there so I'm at a loss here.

I think you can learn a lot about a school before your child attends! Read their mission, visit their website, talk to parents who send their kids there, have your child visit for a school day, take a tour yourself, go to the Open house, meet with the Principal, talk to the actual students. It's time and effort on your part, but it's a big decision! We had our kids in one elementary school and then switched them because we found one that was a slightly better fit. But we got such a great feel of both schools based on what I described above. Also, don't make perfect the enemy of good - meaning, there will be things you like and dislike about all schools, they're not perfect, but there's probably criteria you need to be able to check off so make sure you get that.